§ Mr. Stephen O'BrienTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if discussions with the Swiss Government regarding the exchange of banking information are on-going; and if he will make a statement; [80741]
(2)whether he supports the imposition of sanctions on Switzerland if it does not agree to sharing banking information; [81035]
(3)what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts regarding Switzerland's banking secrecy laws; and if he will make a statement. [80742]
§ Dawn PrimaroloIn accordance with the mandate agreed by ECOFIN Council on 16 October 2001, the presidency and Commission are continuing negotiations with the Swiss Government on the application of measures equivalent to the system that would apply under the draft Savings Directive to member states. The Chancellor and other EU Finance Ministers discuss progress at meetings of the ECOFIN Council. Any decision on what steps to take if a successful conclusion to the negotiations were not to be reached, would be made at that time.